Brake-actuating mechanism



(No mbdel.

G. LINDSTROM. U BRAKE AGI'UATING MECHANISM.

Patented Mar. 9, 1897.

Inven'ior.

47 yQAM A .Attzorney.

Wanesses UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES LINDSTRGM, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

BRAKE-ACTUATING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part/of Letters Patent No. 578,573, dated March 9, 1897.

Application filed January 18, 1897- Serial No. 619,521. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES LINDsTRoM, a citizen of the United States of America, residin gin Altoona, in the county of Blair, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Brake- Actuating Mechanism, of which the following is a true and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof. 1

My invention relates to brake-actuating the nature of an improvement upon my patent granted January 5, 1897, No. 574,549, and it will be understood that the stop-lug feature of my present invention is equally applicable to the specific mechanism shown in my former patent as to my present mechanism.

The nature of my improvements will be best understood as described in connection with the drawings in which they are illustrated,and in which Figure 1 is a plan view showing the bearingpiece in which the upper end of the brakelever is supported and the mechanism connected with the said upper end of the brakeshaft, the car-base (indicated at B) being removed in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 isa side elevation of my improved brake-actuating mechanism, partly taken on the section-line 1 1 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a plan view of the lower ratchet and pawl connected with the brake-shaft; Fig. 4, a perspective view of the bearing-piece supporting the upper end of the brake-shaft Fig. 5, a perspective view of the latch, and Fig. .6 a cross-sectional View taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 2.

A is a rotatable brake-shaft such as is commonly used on the platform of a railroad or street car. It is provided with a bearing at or near the platform B of Fig. 2 and with a bearing near its upper end, as indicated at E.

As shown, the upper end of the shaft A is squared, as indicated at A, and provided with aterminal A of smaller diameter and threaded, as shown. To the lower end of the shaft A is secured the worm 0, upon which the brake-chain is wound up.

D is a ratchet-wheel inserted on the squared portion A of the shaft A and forming with a latch G a clutch.

E is a bearing-piece through a hole E of which the shaft A passes and which is secured to the railing or to the end of a vestibuled platform in any convenient way. As shown, brackets E E and E are. provided for this purpose. The upper end E of the bearingpiece is flat to afford a rest or bearing for the hub of the brake-lever, but it is also provided with a stop-lug, as indicated at E E the purpose of which will be hereinafter explained. From the side of the bearing-piece E extends a bracket E from the outer end of which extends the latch-retractin g device E properly made, as shown, of wedge form and provided with a notch E.

F is the hub of the brake-lever, the lower portion F fitting, as shown, around the shaft A and being formed with a flat lower surface F which rests upon the top of the stop-lug E E and with a depending stop-lug F ,which extends downward to or nearly to the surface E of the bearing-piece E. The upper part of the hub F is chambered, as indicated at F, so as to surround the ratchet-wheel D.

F is the lever extending out from the hub F, F being a slot formed through the walls of the chamber F in line with the lever F.

F is a lug depending from the under side of the lever F and F the handle of the lever. G is a ratchet or pawl having a beveled front edge, as shown, said latch extending through the slot F and being secured to the lever F so as to move angularly with said lever and at the same time be free to take a longitudinal motion independent of the lever which will permit it to engage or disengage with the ratchet D.

It is one of the prime features of my present invention that I provide for the retracting of the latch or pawl Gand its disengagement from the ratchet D by means acting directly upon the pawl, thus avoiding the risk of non-action incident to the possible breakage or getting out of order of pawlretracting mechanism which acts only indirectly upon the pawl, as, for instance, is the case with the specific mechanism shown in my former patent. In the construction specifically illustrated I form the pawl G with the notch G and a depending latch-like projection G on the outer side of the said notch, and I arrange the latch or pawl retracting device E so that as the lever F moves back to its normal po-v sition of rest the latch-like stop or depression G will come in contact with the wedged surface of the stop E and thus draw the pawl G back until it leaves contact with the ratchet D, the recess E being provided to receive the projection G and prevent the lever F from swinging forward from its normal position of rest. A spring J or a counterweight, as J, attached to the lever 1 should in all cases be employed to press the pawl G forward into contact and engagement with the ratchetwheel D, thus insuring that both members G and D of the clutch should come into operation whenever the lever is moved forward and at the same time permitting the pawl to move backward without actuating the ratchet or the shaft A when the lever is moved backward.

I11 addition to providing for the automatic withdrawal of the pawl G, I prefer to make provision for its withdrawal at will by movement of the same hand of the operator which clutches the handle of the brake-lever, and this I accomplish by connecting the pawl G with the rod H, the outer end of which in turn is pivoted at I to a lever I, said lever being pivoted in turn to the lever F at I and having a grip I so placed as to be within easy 1 grasp of the fingers of a hand resting on the handle F The brake-shaftA is as usual provided with a ratchet-wheel L on the level of the platform B, a pawl M being pivoted to a stud M on the platform and having a lever-arm M extending out from it, so as to permit of its being thrown into or out of engagement by a movement of the foot of the brakeman.

The arrangement of the stop-lu gs E, E and F is such as to provide for a positive arrestment of the motion of the lever F in either direct-ion, affording at the same time a supplemental or safety stop again st the backward whirl of the brake-lever and a stop for preventing the brake-lever from being thrown too far forWard-an occurrence which sometimes results in the brakeman losing his balance and being thrown forward.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a rotatable shaft as A of brake-setting mechanism having a ratchet and pawl adapted to hold the brake closed, of a bearing-piece as E for the upper part of shaft A, said bearing-piece having a stop-lug as It IE a clutch arranged to engage and turn the shaft in a direction to set the brakes, and a lever pivoted on shaft A arranged to actuate said clutch when moved in one direction and to move freely in the reverse direction said lever having a stop-lug as F adapted to engage the lug E E and thus limit the motion of the lever in both directions.

2. In combination with a rotatable shaft as A of brake-setting mechanism having a ratchet and pawl adapted to hold the brake closed, of a bearing-piece as E for the upper part of shaft A, said bearing-piece having a stop-1n g as E E a clutch arranged to engage and turn the shaft in a direction to set the brakes, a lever pivoted on shaft A arranged to actuate said clutch when moved in one direction and to move freely in the reverse direction said lever having a stop lug F adapted to engage lug E E and thus limit the motion of the lever in both directions, and an automatic clutch-releasing device whereby the clutch and shaft are disengaged when the lever is in its normal position of rest.

3. In combination with a rotatable shaft as A of brake-setting mechanism having a ratchet and pawl adapted to hold the brake closed, of a ratchet D and pawl as G constituting a clutch for rotating the, shaft in a direction to set the brake, a lever pivoted on the shaft A and arranged to carry and move the pawl G, and a pawl-retracting device as E arranged to act directly upon and withdraw the pawl from engagement with its ratchet as the lever and pawl move to their normal position of rest.

4. In combination with a rotatable shaft as A of brake-setting mechanism having a ratchet and pawl adapted to hold the brake closed, of a ratchet D and pawl as G constituting a clutch for rotating the shaft in a direction to set the brake, a lever pivoted on the shaft A and arranged to carry and move the pawl G, a pawl-retracting device as E arranged to act directly upon and withdraw the pawl from engagement with its ratchet as the lever and pawl move to their normal position of rest, and a pawl-releasin g device as rod H and grip-latch 1 arranged on the pivoted lever to provide for the release of pawl G at will.

5. In combination with a rotatable shaft as A of brake-setting mechanism having a ratchet and pawl adapted to hold the brake closed, of a ratchet D and pawl as G constituting a clutch for rotating a shaft in a direction to set the brake, a lever pivoted on the shaft A and arranged to carry and move the pawl G, and a pawl-retracting device as E secured to a bearing for the upper end of shaft A and arranged to act directly upon and withdraw the pawl from engagement with its ratchet as the lever and pawl move to their normal position of rest.

CHARLES LINDsTRoM.

l/Vitnesses:

RICH. TEIMER, L. W. HEALEY. 

